The measure of intelligence is the ability to change
Albert Einstein
Our desire to change is one of the most important drivers of human development. It is also an important driver of business success: in order to grow and to improve a company we have to change and we have to transform one thing into another. Architecture is all about transforming one architectural state into another. This could be redesigning a business process, updating to a new version of the middleware or ripping out the entire core system and replacing it by a new system landscape.
Transforming something is actually a quite simple process that is shown in the exhibit below. The process starts with understanding stakeholders and their needs. These stakeholders could be customers, developers or the CFO of the company. It might even be yourself. Quite often the most important stakeholder is the customer of the company and by talking to them and better understanding their experience you might discover a problem.
These stakeholders have some kind of problem that we have to analyze and define – and often we might have to redefine it. Once we have understood the problem and then we make sure that we have defined the criteria for success it is necessary to create the solution space and potential options.
Once the problem is well defined we will come to a problem solution. We have to change the system landscape, implement new processes or refactor code in order to solve the problem of the stakeholder in the best way possible.
Especially in a corporate environment the actual work starts after the solution is developed. The solution has to be communicated and aligned with all relevant stakeholders. As soon as the implementation starts we have to influence its implementation and ensure that the value of the new solution is captured.
Afterwards the entire cycle starts over with the next iteration and a refinement of the existing problem understanding or by identifying the next wave of change.
Spinning this transformation wheel requires a lot of different skills. It requires knowledge about the problem domain, skills in problem solving, communication and stakeholder management. A lot of different skills to have in the toolbox.
This wheel lacks an axis to spin around. What is actually driving this change? To answer this question let’s look at some historical examples of large transformational efforts: In 1980 GE was a bureaucratic conglomerate having a difficult time meeting the expectations of its customers. Jack Welch transformed the company into a poster child of lean operations and innovation. In 1997 Apple was a computer maker struggling to stay relevant. Only after Steve Jobs returned did they transform into a technology powerhouse. There are many more stories where an individual leader actually turned around and transformed their organization.
Most of these leaders were extremely smart and a lot of them came from the actual domain of business with a wealth of knowledge. But if you read their biographies, research about their approach it is not only the smart decision making and the communication that is remarkable. It is their character and mindset that really distinguished these leaders from the rest.
Jack Welch stated that lack of candor is the biggest “dirty little secret in business.” Being open, honest, and creating an environment where everyone can speak their mind generates speed, reduces costs, and gets more people involved in the conversation. Steve Jobs was famously impatient, hyper-focused on perfect solutions and an obsession for the details of delivering solutions to the customers.
It is the character and the mindset of these leaders that drives the process for the good or the bad (see exhibit below)
And it is also your character, mindset and approach that is influencing the success of the transformation.
Most decisions in architecture are about a tradeoff. It could be between two software solutions, it could be between investing more in supply chain or manufacturing or which country comes first in a transformation roadmap. The decision would be trivial if there would not be supporters for both sides among the stakeholders.
If you have a bad track record of not sticking to your promises and the stakeholders in the company do not trust you it will be very difficult for you to drive the change. The first and maybe most important criteria in Enterprise Architecture and Transformation is to be Objective. If you come from IT or report into the CIO people will always assume that you have a bias towards technology. If the head of one department is a close friend there will always be the suspicion that he gets special treatment.
Being objective is a key but not the only component of Professional behavior. Even if you are objective in your decision proposal and one of the senior stakeholder – maybe even a member of the management teams – is pushing back as it does not fit with his personal objectives your reaction is key. Do you silently change the facts to be in line with the view of the most outspoken and most hostile stakeholder? Or do you stand firm and stick to the facts that are on your side. As our research shows this kind of professional leadership might be uncomfortable at the moment but is hugely beneficial for the company and your career.
The third component of the character and mindset “axle” is Delivery to targets. Being committed to delivering up to the promises comes natural in most areas. We would never celebrate a Formula 1 driver that aims to be the fastest but comes last over the finish line. In architecture however it makes sense to emphasize the delivery aspect as there is sometimes the mindset among some architects that the work is over once the blueprint has been drawn.
The question is what you take (co-)ownership for. Is it the concept, the blueprint, the system implementation, its usage or the fact that the change generates an impact on the top line of the company. I don’t want to educate for putting all the monkeys of the company your shoulders. However, being committed to the end result, showing ownership and being supportive of the team driving the actual delivery work is key as most stakeholders will not differentiate between an excellent plan and poor delivery and a complete failure.
No one is born with Richard Feynman’s problem solving skills, the integrity of George Washington and the communication leadership of Martin Luther King. And even these great leaders were not born with a fully developed skill set. As we have to continuously work on a problem to improve it we also have to continuously develop our skills, mindset and character to be prepared for the next challenges. The exhibit below shows this process.
If we do not have the necessary skills to change the architecture, the setup and finally the company we first have to develop these skills: “Transform yourself!”
Starting with a solid Self Assessment is important for a successful career. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses. Are you a good communicator? Is it easy for you to have a peer discussion with people that are higher up in the hierarchy? Are you strong in analytics and problem solving? What other technical or leadership skills do you have and which ones would you like to develop?
As the proper problem definition is a critical foundation for solving the actual problem, the self assessment is the foundation of personal development. While most people have an intuitive understanding of their strengths some of their weaknesses might be “unknown unknowns” as they might not be aware of a missing communication skill or the damage caused by a lack of objectivity. Therefore the self assessment should be exhaustive and cover all dimensions.
After clarifying the current position and where you are in terms of skills the obvious next step is matching skills and expectations for being successful and developing as an individual. Sometimes you make the selection for yourself and sometimes you have to select the best opportunities for other people working with you or even select the right people for a particular opportunity.
In the area of architecture and transformation new opportunities will often present themselves at unexpected times. Be it that an external headhunter is approaching you or a new project is being started and you are asked to take a leadership role. To decide quickly you have to have an understanding if you are capable of delivering the expected results.
Beyond waiting for the golden opportunity one should create a Personal Development Roadmap that exposes you to situations where it is more likely to apply your skills. This could mean that you are looking for a job in a different company, a different department or a different geography. Maybe the requirements in one of your company’s growth markets are much different from the stable home market and it is therefore much more likely that you develop your transformational skills there rather than in the stable and barely moving headquarter environment.
The combination of these capabilities is the “Transform Yourself” part of our architecture skills capability map:
Use this map as a starting point. You can wither take our survey to get a better understanding of your skills or just borrow some colored markers from your kids and paint the map in green, yellow and red to identify your strengths and weaknesses.